Input device, game controller, and information processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A controller as an example of an exemplary embodiment includes a housing including an opening, and an operation member, a part of which is exposed through the opening. The operation member includes a key top exposed through the opening and operated by a user, a shaft portion extending downward from the key top, and a protruding portion protruding from the shaft portion. Further, in the housing, a pedestal with which the protruding portion of the operation member comes into contact when the operation member is tilted is provided. The tilt of the operation member is limited by the protruding portion coming into contact with the pedestal. Further, a sensor for detecting pressure is provided on the pedestal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/JP2020/47300 filed on Dec. 17, 2020, the entire contents ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

An exemplary embodiment relates to an input device, a game controller,and an information processing apparatus.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Conventionally, there is a game controller including a multi-directionalinput section. For example, the conventional controller includes ananalog stick as a multi-directional input section. The analog stick isexposed through an opening provided in a housing of the controller andis operated by a user.

Therefore, it is an object of an exemplary embodiment to provide a newtechnique for detecting an operation on an operation member.

To achieve the above object, the exemplary embodiment employs thefollowing configurations.

An example of the exemplary embodiment is an input device comprising ahousing including an opening, and an operation member, a part of whichis exposed through the opening and which is movable in a peripheraldirection of the opening, the operation member including: a key topexposed through the opening and operated by a user; a shaft portionextending from the key top through the opening to inside the housing;and a first portion located inside the housing, the input device furthercomprising: a second portion which is within the housing, and when theoperation member moves in the peripheral direction of the opening,limits the movement by the first portion coming into contact with thesecond portion; and a first sensor that is at the first portion or thesecond portion and provides an output relating to a force applied due tothe contact between the first portion and the second portion.

Based on the above, when an operation member moves in a peripheraldirection of an opening, a first portion of the operation member comesinto contact with second portion within a housing, thereby limiting themotion of the operation member. Further, a sensor that provides anoutput relating to a force applied due to the contact between the firstportion and the second portion is included. Thus, it is possible toprovide an input using the output of the sensor.

Further, in another configuration, the input device may further includea second sensor that detects a moving direction of the operation member.

Further, in another configuration, the first portion and the secondportion may come into contact with each other through the first sensor.

Further, in another configuration, the first portion may protrude in adirection away from a center of the shaft portion and in an inwarddirection of the housing.

Further, in another configuration, when the operation member moves inthe peripheral direction of the opening, an extremity of the firstportion may come into contact with the second portion.

Further, in another configuration, the extremity of the first portionmay have a round shape.

Further, in another configuration, when the operation member moves in afirst direction, the first portion and the second portion may come intocontact with each other at a position in the first direction.

Further, in another configuration, the second portion may include acontact surface with which the first portion comes into contact, and awall portion extending from the contact surface in an outward directionof the housing.

Further, in another configuration, the wall portion may be in an endportion, on a center side of the shaft portion, of the contact surface.

Further, in another configuration, the second portion may be formed of amaterial having a lower coefficient of friction than at least aperipheral portion of the opening in the housing.

Further, in another configuration, when the operation member moves inthe peripheral direction of the opening, the first portion may come intocontact with the second portion without the shaft portion coming intocontact with the housing.

Further, in another configuration, when the operation member moves inthe peripheral direction of the opening, the first portion may come intocontact with the second portion, and then, the operation member mayfurther move in the peripheral direction, whereby the shaft portion maycome into contact with the housing.

Further, in another configuration, when the operation member moves in afirst direction, the first portion and the second portion may come intocontact with each other at a position in a second direction opposite tothe first direction.

Further, in another configuration, the second portion may be on a backside of the housing, and when the operation member moves in theperipheral direction of the opening, the movement may be limited by anouter side surface of the first portion coming into contact with thesecond portion.

Further, in another configuration, even if the operation member moves inany peripheral direction of the opening, the first portion may come intocontact with the second portion.

Further, in another configuration, a portion of the first portion thatcomes into contact with the second portion may have a circular shape,and a portion of the second portion that comes into contact with thefirst portion may have a circular shape.

Further, in another configuration, the input device may further includea cushioning material in a portion where the first portion and thesecond portion come into contact with each other.

Further, in another configuration, a difference between a length of aportion of the first portion that comes into contact with the secondportion and a length of a portion of the second portion that comes intocontact with the first portion may be smaller than a difference betweena perimeter of the shaft portion and a perimeter of the opening.

Further, in another configuration, a game controller may include theoperation member, the second portion, and the sensor. Further, inanother aspect, an information processing apparatus may include theinput device.

According to the exemplary embodiment, it is possible to detect anoperation on an operation member using a non-conventional technique.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of theexemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the followingdetailed description of the exemplary embodiments when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is example non-limiting external views of a game controller 1;

FIG. 2 is an example non-limiting diagram showing the state where a userholds the game controller 1 with both hands;

FIG. 3 is an example non-limiting exploded perspective view of the gamecontroller 1;

FIG. 4 is example non-limiting external views of an operation member 41of an analog stick 4;

FIG. 5A is an example non-limiting front surface side perspective viewof the operation member 41;

FIG. 5B is an example non-limiting back surface side perspective view ofthe operation member 41;

FIG. 6 is an example non-limiting cross-sectional view along a line A-Ain (a) of FIG. 4 ;

FIG. 7 is example non-limiting external views of a pedestal 42 of theanalog stick 4;

FIG. 8A is an example non-limiting perspective view of the pedestal 42when viewed from a back surface side;

FIG. 8B is an example non-limiting perspective view of the pedestal 42when viewed from an upper surface side;

FIG. 9 is an example non-limiting cross-sectional view along a line A-Ain (a) of FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 10 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of an endsurface of the game controller 1 when cut in the center of the analogstick 4 in a case where the operation member 41 is not tilted;

FIG. 11 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of thestate where the operation member 41 is tilted in a left direction fromthe state of FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 12 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of thestate where the operation member 41 is tilted in a right direction fromthe state of FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 13 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of thestate where contact points move when the tilt of the operation member 41is limited by the contact between a shaft portion 412 of the operationmember 41 and a first housing 10;

FIG. 14 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of thestate where the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 and thefirst housing 10 come into contact with each other in a configuration inwhich the pedestal 42 is not provided;

FIG. 15 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of thetrajectory of a contact point when the tilt of the operation member 41is limited by the contact between a protruding portion 413 of theoperation member 41 and the pedestal 42;

FIG. 16 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of thestate where the protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 andthe pedestal 42 come into contact with each other;

FIG. 17 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of apartially enlarged view when a ring member 12 is provided in an openingportion 11 of the first housing 10;

FIG. 18 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of an endsurface of the game controller 1 when cut in the center of the analogstick 4 in a configuration in which the ring member 12 is provided inthe periphery of the opening portion 11 of the first housing 10;

FIG. 19 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of acontact surface 421 when recessed portions are formed on the contactsurface 421 of the pedestal 42;

FIG. 20 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of theconfiguration of another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 21 is an example non-limiting exploded perspective view showing apart of the analog stick 4 of the game controller according to theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of an end surface of the gamecontroller according to the exemplary embodiment when cut in the centerof the analog stick 4;

FIG. 23 is an example non-limiting diagram showing an example of the endsurface when the operation member 41 is tilted in the right direction;

FIG. 24 is an example non-limiting diagram showing variation 1 of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 25 is an example non-limiting diagram showing the state where theoperation member 41 in FIG. 24 is tilted in the right direction;

FIG. 26 is an example non-limiting diagram showing variation 2 of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 27 is an example non-limiting diagram showing the state where theoperation member 41 in FIG. 26 is tilted in the left direction;

FIG. 28 is an example non-limiting diagram showing variation 3 of theexemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 29 is an example non-limiting diagram showing the state where theoperation member 41 in FIG. 28 is tilted in the left direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF NON-LIMITING EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings, a game controller 1 (an example of aninput device) according to an exemplary embodiment is described below.The game controller 1 according to the exemplary embodiment is connectedto a game apparatus (not shown) in a wireless or wired manner and usedto perform an operation in a game performed in the game apparatus. Itshould be noted that the game apparatus to which the game controller 1is connected may be a mobile game apparatus or may be a stationary gameapparatus. Further, the game controller 1 may be connected not only to agame apparatus but also to an information processing apparatus such as asmartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer and used toperform an operation in a game performed using the informationprocessing apparatus.

FIG. 1 is examples of external views of the game controller 1. (a) ofFIG. 1 is a front view of the game controller 1. (b) of FIG. 1 is a leftside view of the game controller 1. (c) of FIG. 1 is a right side viewof the game controller 1. (d) of FIG. 1 is a top view of the gamecontroller 1. (e) of FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the game controller 1.(f) of FIG. 1 is a rear view of the game controller 1. An xyz coordinatesystem in FIG. 1 is a coordinate system based on the game controller 1.The xyz coordinate system defines a direction perpendicular to a frontsurface of the game controller 1 (e.g., the direction in which buttons 2are pressed) as a z-axis direction, defines a left-right direction ofthe game controller 1 (e.g., the direction in which an A-button 2 and aY-button 2 are connected together) as an x-axis direction, and definesan up-down direction of the game controller 1 (e.g., the direction inwhich a B-button 2 and an X-button 2 are connected together) as a y-axisdirection.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the game controller 1 includes a first housing 10on the front surface side of the game controller 1 and a second housing20 on a back surface side of the game controller 1. The first housing 10and the second housing 20 are connected together, thereby forming ahousing of the game controller 1. The first housing 10 and the secondhousing 20 may be formed of, for example, an ABS resin, a polycarbonateABS resin, an acrylic ABS resin, or the like, or may be formed of apolymer alloy including at least two of these three materials. Further,the game controller 1 includes a left grip portion 8 a and a right gripportion 8 b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 , in a right region of the front surface ofthe game controller 1, four buttons (an A-button, a B-button, anX-button, and a Y-button) 2 are provided. Further, to the left side ofthe four buttons 2, four buttons (a “+” button, a “−” button, a homebutton, and a capture button) 3 are provided. Further, in the rightregion of the front surface of the game controller 1 and obliquely belowand to the left of the Y-button 2, a right analog stick 4 b is provided.

Further, in a left region of the front surface of the game controller 1and to the left side of the “−” button 3, a left analog stick 4 a isplaced. Further, in the left region of the front surface of the gamecontroller 1 and obliquely below and to the right of the left analogstick 4 a, a directional pad 5 is placed.

Further, as shown in (d) of FIG. 1 , on an upper surface of the gamecontroller 1, an L-button 6 a, a ZL-button 7 a, an R-button 6 b, and aZR-button 7 b are provided. Specifically, the L-button 6 a is providedin a left end portion on the upper surface of the game controller 1. TheZL-button 7 a is provided on the back surface side of the gamecontroller 1 (further in a positive z-axis direction) of the L-button 6a. Further, the R-button 6 b is provided in a right end portion on theupper surface of the game controller 1. The ZR-button 7 b is provided onthe back surface side of the game controller 1 (further in the positivez-axis direction) of the R-button 6 b.

The four buttons 2 are buttons that can be pressed in a depth direction(the positive z-axis direction) in (a) of FIG. 1 , and are buttons usedfor a game operation. Further, the four buttons 3 are buttons that canbe pressed in the positive z-axis direction. Further, the directionalpad 5 is a device for indicating up, down, left, and right directions.

Further, the left analog stick 4 a and the right analog stick 4 b aredevices for indicating directions and are each configured such that akey top of the analog stick to be operated by the finger of a user canbe tilted in any directions (at any angles in up, down, left, right, andoblique directions). The left analog stick 4 a and the right analogstick 4 b may be configured to be pressed in the positive z-axisdirection. It should be noted that hereinafter, the left analog stick 4a and the right analog stick 4 b will occasionally be collectivelyreferred to as an “analog stick 4”. The analog stick 4 outputs a signalincluding information regarding the direction in which the analog stick4 is tilted, and information regarding the angle of the tilt. The gameapparatus can execute game processing based on this signal. The detailsof the analog stick 4 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the state where the user holds the gamecontroller 1 with both hands. As shown in FIG. 2 , when the user holdsthe grip portion 8 a with their left hand and holds the grip portion 8 bwith their right hand, the user can operate the left analog stick 4 aand the directional pad 5 with the thumb of the left hand. Further, theuser can operate two of the buttons 3 (the “−” button and the capturebutton) with the thumb of the left hand. Further, the user can operatethe L-button 6 a and the ZL-button 7 a with the index finger (or themiddle finger) of the left hand. Further, the user can operate the fourbuttons 2 (the A-button, the B-button, the X-button, and the Y-button),the right analog stick 4 b, and two of the buttons 3 (the “+” button andthe home button) with the thumb of the right hand. Further, the user canoperate the R-button 6 b and the ZR-button 7 b with the index finger (orthe middle finger) of the right hand. It should be noted that FIG. 2shows the typical manner of holding the game controller 1. The gamecontroller 1 may be held in a different manner depending on the user.

First, a structure related to the limitation on the tilt of the analogstick is described below. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of thegame controller 1. As shown in FIG. 3 , within the game controller 1(within the housing formed of the first housing 10 and the secondhousing 20), various members are accommodated.

Specifically, within the game controller 1, a substrate 30, a leftanalog stick main body part 43 a, a pedestal 42 a, and a left operationmember 41 a are accommodated. Further, within the game controller 1, aright analog stick main body part 43 b, a pedestal 42 b, and a rightoperation member 41 b are accommodated. It should be noted that althoughvarious parts are also accommodated within the game controller 1 inaddition to these, only portions related to the analog stick 4 will bedescribed below.

The left analog stick 4 a is formed of the left analog stick main bodypart 43 a, the pedestal 42 a, and the left operation member 41 a.Further, the right analog stick 4 b is formed of the right analog stickmain body part 43 b, the pedestal 42 b, and the right operation member41 b. It should be noted that hereinafter, the left analog stick mainbody part 43 a and the right analog stick main body part 43 b willoccasionally be collectively referred to as an “analog stick main bodypart 43”. Further, the pedestal 42 a and the pedestal 42 b willoccasionally be collectively referred to as a “pedestal 42” (an exampleof a second portion). Similarly, the left operation member 41 a and theright operation member 41 b will occasionally be collectively referredto as an “operation member 41”.

The analog stick main body part 43 is fixed onto the substrate 30. Theanalog stick main body part 43 includes a stick shaft 431 (see FIG. 10). Although the details will be described later, the stick shaft 431 ofthe analog stick main body part 43 is inserted into a shaft insertionopening 415 provided in the operation member 41, thereby fixing theoperation member 41 to the analog stick main body part 43. Then, a keytop of the operation member 41 is exposed through an opening portion 11(a left opening portion 11 a and a right opening portion 11 b) providedin the first housing 10. The analog stick main body part 43 is a sensorthat detects an input direction (the tilt direction of the operationmember 41).

The operation member 41 is tilted by the user, thereby inputting adirection. Although the details will be described later, the tilt angleof the operation member 41 is limited by the pedestal 42.

(Details of Operation Member 41 of Analog Stick 4)

Next, the details of the operation member 41 of the analog stick 4 aredescribed. FIG. 4 is examples of external views of the operation member41 of the analog stick 4. (a) of FIG. 4 is a front view of the operationmember 41 (a diagram in which only the operation member 41 is viewedfrom the front surface of the game controller 1 when the operationmember 41 is fixed to the game controller 1). (b) of FIG. 4 is a leftside view of the operation member 41. (c) of FIG. 4 is a right side viewof the operation member 41. (d) of FIG. 4 is a top view of the operationmember 41. (e) of FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the operation member 41.(f) of FIG. 4 is a rear view of the operation member 41. It should benoted that an x-axis, a y-axis, and z-axis in FIG. 4 correspond to thex-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis, respectively, in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5A is a front surface side perspective view of the operation member41.

FIG. 5B is a back surface side perspective view of the operation member41. Further, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along a line A-A in (a) ofFIG. 4 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the operation member 41 includes a key top 411, ashaft portion 412, and a protruding portion 413. The key top 411 isexposed through the opening portion 11 of the first housing 10 and is aportion to be operated (touched) by the user. The shape of the key top411 is a circular shape when the game controller 1 is viewed from thefront surface.

The shaft portion 412 extends downward from the key top 411 (in thedirection in which the buttons 2 of the game controller 1 are pressed;the positive z-axis direction). When the operation member 41 is providedin the game controller 1, the shaft portion 412 extends in the directionfrom the key top 411 toward the inside of the housing of the gamecontroller 1. The shaft portion 412 has, for example, a columnar shape,and the radius of a bottom surface of the shaft portion 412 is L1. Whenthe operation member 41 is fixed to the analog stick main body part 43provided on the substrate 30, the shaft portion 412 penetrates throughthe opening portion 11 of the first housing 10 and exposes the key top411 to the outside of the housing.

The protruding portion 413 (an example of a first portion) is formedinto an umbrella shape and formed such that the further downward (thepositive z-axis direction) in the shaft portion 412, the wider. Theprotruding portion 413 is a contact portion that comes into contact withthe pedestal 42 when the operation member 41 is tilted. The protrudingportion 413 and the pedestal 42 may come into direct contact with eachother, or may come into contact with each other through a sheetdescribed below. The protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 may comeinto contact with each other through a pressure sensor described below.That is, “the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 come intocontact with each other” may mean that the protruding portion 413 andthe pedestal 42 come into direct contact with each other, or may meanthat the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 come into indirectcontact with each other, for example, across another member.Specifically, the protruding portion 413 protrudes downward from theshaft portion 412 and in a direction away from the center of the shaftportion 412 (the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, i.e., adirection perpendicular to the direction in which the buttons 2 arepressed). More specifically, as shown in (e) of FIG. 4 , the protrudingportion 413 has a shape obtained by cutting about half to two-thirds ofa hollow ball. The side surface of the protruding portion 413 is arcuatewhen viewed from a direction parallel to the xy plane. As shown in (f)of FIG. 4 , a lower end portion (extremity) of the protruding portion413 is circular when the operation member 41 is viewed from the backsurface. Further, the extremity of the protruding portion 413 may have around shape. As shown in (d) of FIG. 4 , the distance from the center ofthe shaft portion 412 to the extremity of the protruding portion 413(i.e., the radius of the circle of the extremity of the protrudingportion 413) is L3 (>L1). The extremity of the protruding portion 413may not have a round shape, and may include a protrusion protruding inthe side surface direction.

Further, as shown in (f) of FIGS. 4, 5B, and 6 , inside the protrudingportion 413, a plurality of ribs 414 are provided. The ribs 414 areprovided along the inside of the protruding portion 413 toward theextremity of the protruding portion 413, thereby preventing theprotruding portion 413 from deforming when the operation member 41 isoperated. It should be noted that the ribs 414 may be provided so as toextend to the extremity of the protruding portion 413.

Further, inside the protruding portion 413, a shaft insertion opening415 is provided. Into the shaft insertion opening 415, the stick shaft431 of the analog stick main body part 43 (see FIG. 10 ) is inserted.Consequently, the operation member 41 is fixed to the analog stick mainbody part 43.

The key top 411 is formed of a different material from those of thefirst housing 10 and the second housing 20 and formed of a materialhaving a higher coefficient of friction than the first housing 10 andthe second housing 20 so that the key top 411 is less likely to slipwhen the user operates the key top 411. Further, the shaft portion 412and the protruding portion 413 (also the ribs 414 and the shaftinsertion opening 415) may be formed of polypropylene. Further, theshaft portion 412 and the protruding portion 413 may be formed of thesame material as those of the first housing 10 and the second housing20. The key top 411, the shaft portion 412, and the protruding portion413 (also the ribs 414 and the shaft insertion opening 415) may beintegrally molded by two-color molding. It should be noted that the keytop 411 may be formed of the same material as that of the first housing10. Further, the shaft portion 412 and the protruding portion 413 may beformed of different materials.

(Details of Pedestal 42 of Analog Stick 4)

FIG. 7 is examples of external views of the pedestal 42 of the analogstick 4. (a) of FIG. 7 is a front view of the pedestal 42. (b) of FIG. 7is a left side view of the pedestal 42. (c) of FIG. 7 is a right sideview of the pedestal 42. (d) of FIG. 7 is a top view of the pedestal 42.(e) of FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the pedestal 42. (f) of FIG. 7 is arear view of the pedestal 42. It should be noted that a z-axis in FIG. 7coincides with the z-axis in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the pedestal 42 when viewed from theback surface side. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the pedestal 42 whenviewed from the upper surface side. Further, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectionalview along a line A-A in (a) of FIG. 7 .

The pedestal 42 (an example of the second portion) is a contact targetportion that comes into contact with the protruding portion 413 when theoperation member 41 is tilted. As shown in (d) of FIG. 7 , the pedestal42 is a ring-shaped member. The pedestal 42 includes a contact surface421, an inner wall 422, and an outer wall 423. Further, the pedestal 42includes two screw holes 424. The pedestal 42 is molded by integralmolding. Screws are inserted into the screw holes 424, and the pedestal42 is screwed, thereby fixing the pedestal 42 to the first housing 10.The pedestal 42 is fixed in the housing such that the contact surface421 is directed to the front surface side of the game controller 1(i.e., the normal vector of the contact surface 421 is directed in anegative z-axis direction of the game controller 1). As shown in FIG. 3, the pedestal 42 is disposed further on the front surface side of thegame controller 1 than the substrate 30 and the analog stick main bodypart 43, and the ring-shaped pedestal 42 is disposed so as to surroundthe analog stick main body part 43.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the contact surface 421 is a flat surface parallelto the xy plane. The outer wall 423 is a surface that extends upward (inthe negative z-axis direction) from the contact surface 421 and forexample, is perpendicular to the contact surface 421. Further, at leasta surface inside the inner wall 422 (a surface that comes into contactwith the contact surface 421) is formed, for example, so as to extendupward (in the negative z-axis direction) and toward the center (inside)of the pedestal 42 from the contact surface 421 and have an anglegreater than the 90 degrees with respect to the contact surface 421. Itshould be noted that at least either one of the inner wall 422 and theouter wall 423 may not be formed.

The pedestal 42 may be formed of a material having higher slidingproperties (a lower coefficient of friction) than the first housing 10and the second housing 20. Further, the pedestal 42 may be formed of amaterial having higher sliding properties than the protruding portion413 of the operation member 41. For example, the pedestal 42 may beformed of a POM (polyacetal) resin, a PA (nylon/polyamide) resin, a PBTresin, or the like. It should be noted that the pedestal 42 may beformed of any material. For example, the pedestal 42 may be formed ofthe same material as that of the protruding portion 413, or may beformed of the same material as those of the first housing 10 and thesecond housing 20.

(Limitation on Tilt of Operation Member 41 by Pedestal 42)

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an end surface of the gamecontroller 1 when cut in the center of the analog stick 4 in a casewhere the operation member 41 is not tilted. It should be noted thatFIG. 10 conceptually shows a portion related to the limitation on thetilt of the operation member 41 by the pedestal 42, and does not show aportion unrelated to the limitation on the tilt of the operation member41. Further, a down direction in FIG. 10 coincides with the z-axisdirections in FIGS. 1, 4 , and the like.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the stick shaft 431 of the analog stick main bodypart 43 is inserted into the shaft insertion opening 415 of theoperation member 41, and the operation member 41 is fixed to the analogstick main body part 43. The key top 411 of the operation member 41 isexposed through the opening portion 11 of the first housing 10.

The stick shaft 431 of the analog stick main body part 43 is configuredto be tilted with a point P as a fulcrum. It should be noted that inFIG. 10 , a dashed line in the up-down direction passing through thepoint P indicates the center of the stick shaft 431 of the analog stickmain body part 43. The center of the shaft 431 coincides with the centerof the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41. For example, when aforce is applied to the key top 411 of the operation member 41 in theleft-right direction in FIG. 10 by the user, the stick shaft 431 of theanalog stick main body part 43 is tilted in the left-right direction.Further, when a force is applied to the key top 411 of the operationmember 41 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of FIG.10 , the stick shaft 431 of the analog stick main body part 43 is tiltedin the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of FIG. 10 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the state where the operationmember 41 is tilted in the left direction from the state of FIG. 10 .FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the state where the operationmember 41 is tilted in the right direction from the state of FIG. 10 .It should be noted that in FIGS. 11 and 12 , for description, the analogstick main body part 43 is omitted except for the point P and the centerof the stick shaft 431.

As shown in FIG. 11 , when a force is applied to the key top 411 of theoperation member 41 in the left direction, the operation member 41 istilted to the left side and moves in a peripheral direction on the leftside of the opening portion 11. Then, within the first housing 10, theextremity of the protruding portion 413 comes into contact with thecontact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. Thus, the operation member 41 isnot tilted any more in the left direction. That is, the extremity of theprotruding portion 413 comes into contact with the pedestal 42, therebylimiting the tilt in the left direction of the operation member 41. Atthis time, the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 does notcome into contact with the first housing 10.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12 , when a force is applied to the key top411 of the operation member 41 in the right direction, the operationmember 41 is tilted to the right side and moves in the peripheraldirection on the right side of the opening portion 11. Then, within thehousing 10, the extremity of the protruding portion 413 comes intocontact with the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. Thus, theoperation member 41 is not tilted any more in the right direction. Thatis, the extremity of the protruding portion 413 comes into contact withthe pedestal 42, thereby limiting the tilt in the right direction of theoperation member 41. At this time, the shaft portion 412 of theoperation member 41 does not come into contact with the first housing10.

The same applies to a case where a force is applied to the key top 411in any other direction. That is, when a force is applied to the key top411 in any direction, the operation member 41 is tilted in the directionof the force, and the extremity of the protruding portion 413 comes intocontact with the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. Consequently,the tilt of the operation member 41 (the movement in the peripheraldirection of the opening portion 11) is limited. Even when the operationmember 41 is tilted in any direction, the shaft portion 412 of theoperation member 41 does not come into contact with the first housing10. Thus, the user can obtain a non-conventional operational feeling.Further, the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 come intocontact with each other within the first housing 10. Thus, a soundassociated with the contact is unlikely to leak to outside.

When the tilt of the stick shaft 431 of the analog stick main body part43 is not limited by another member, the stick shaft 431 itself of theanalog stick main body part 43 can be tilted to an angle greater than anangle shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 . When the tilt of the stick shaft 431 ofthe analog stick main body part 43 is not limited by another member, thetilt of the stick shaft 431 of the analog stick main body part 43 can betilted in any direction and at any angle up to a predetermined angle(e.g., 20 degrees, 30 degrees, or 45 degrees) with the state shown inFIG. 10 as a tilt angle of “0 degrees”. However, when the analog stickmain body part 43 is accommodated in the housing of the game controller1, then as described above, the angle at which the operation member 41is tilted is limited by the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42.

It should be noted that also when the tilt of the operation member 41 islimited by the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42, the shaftportion 412 of the operation member 41 and the first housing 10 may comeinto contact with each other. In this case, when the operation member 41is tilted, the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 may come intocontact with each other before the shaft portion 412 and the firsthousing 10 come into contact with each other. That is, the operationmember 41 is tilted, and the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42come into contact with each other, and a force is further applied toelastically deform the protruding portion 413 or the pedestal 42,whereby the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 and the firsthousing 10 may come into contact with each other. Further, when theoperation member 41 is tilted, the protruding portion 413 and thepedestal 42 may come into contact with each other, and simultaneously,the shaft portion 412 and the first housing 10 may come into contactwith each other.

Further, on the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42, a sheet (e.g., anylon sheet, a fluorine sheet, or the like) having higher slidingproperties than the pedestal 42 and the protruding portion 413 may beprovided. A sheet having high sliding properties is provided on thecontact surface 421, whereby it is possible to reduce resistance thatoccurs between the protruding portion 413 and the contact surface 421.Further, the protruding portion 413 may be formed of a material havinghigher sliding properties than the pedestal 42. That is, a materialhaving high sliding properties may be used for at least a portion wherethe protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 come into contact witheach other.

Further, on the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42, a sheet-likecushioning material for absorbing shock may be provided. The cushioningmaterial may be a material having higher shock absorption than thematerial of the pedestal 42, and may be formed of a foamed resin such asfoamed polyurethane, foamed polyethylene, or the like. The cushioningmaterial is provided on the contact surface 421, whereby it is possibleto reduce sound generated when the protruding portion 413 comes intocontact with the contact surface 421. Further, the cushioning materialmay be provided at the extremity of the protruding portion 413, or theentirety of the protruding portion 413 may be formed of the cushioningmaterial. That is, the cushioning material may be provided in at least aportion where the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 come intocontact with each other.

The material of the protruding portion 412 of the operation member 41,the material of the pedestal 42, the presence or absence of a sheet onthe contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42, and the material of a sheetmay be optionally combined. For example, when a material having highersliding properties than the protruding portion 413 is selected as thematerial of the pedestal 42, a sheet may not be provided, or a sheethaving high cushioning properties may be provided. Further, when thesame material as that of the protruding portion 413 is selected as thematerial of the pedestal 42, a sheet having higher sliding propertiesthan the pedestal 42, a sheet having high cushioning properties, or asheet having these properties may be provided on the contact surface421.

Further, the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42 and/or the extremityof the protruding portion 413 may be formed of a metal. In this case,when the extremity of the protruding portion 413 comes into contact withthe contact surface 421, a metallic sound is generated. Consequently,the user can generate a relatively large operation sound by operatingthe analog stick 4 and transmit the operation sound also to outside thefirst housing 10. In this manner, it is possible to configure the gamecontroller 1 more preferable for a user who likes an operation sound.

Here, it is also possible that the shaft portion 412 of the operationmember 41 and the first housing 10 are brought into contact with eachother, thereby limiting the tilt of the operation member 41. Adescription is given below of the difference between a configuration forlimiting the tilt of the operation member 41 by the contact between theshaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 and the first housing 10,and a configuration for limiting the tilt of the operation member 41 bythe contact between the protruding portion 413 and the pedestal 42 as inthe exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the state where contactpoints move when the tilt of the operation member 41 is limited by thecontact between the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 and thefirst housing 10. FIG. 13 shows parts of the shaft portion 412 of theoperation member 41 and the first housing 10 when viewed from the frontsurface of the game controller 1. The depth direction of the plane ofthe paper of FIG. 13 coincides with the z-axis in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the state where the shaftportion 412 of the operation member 41 and the first housing 10 comeinto contact with each other in a configuration in which the pedestal 42is not provided. In FIG. 14 , the operation member 41 before beingtilted is indicated by a solid line, and the operation member 41 whenthe operation member 41 is tilted and the shaft portion 412 is incontact with the first housing 10 is indicated by a dashed line.

As shown in FIG. 13 , before the operation member 41 is tilted, thecenter of the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 is located atthe center of the circular opening portion 11 of the first housing 10.As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 , the radius of the shaft portion 412 of theoperation member 41 is L1, and the radius of the opening portion 11 ofthe first housing 10 is L2 (>L1).

As shown in FIG. 13 , for example, the operation member 41 is tilted inthe up direction, the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 andthe first housing 10 come into contact with each other. At this time, acontact point on the shaft portion 412 side is a point CPa, and acontact point on the first housing 10 side is a point CPh.

When the operation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle (i.e.,when the input direction of the analog stick 4 is changed with the shaftportion 412 remaining in contact with the first housing 10), then asshown in FIG. 13 , the contact point CPa moves in the direction of anarrow in FIG. 13 on the circumference of the shaft portion 412. Further,the contact point CPh moves in the direction of an arrow in FIG. 13along the periphery of the opening portion 11. The shaft portion 412 ofthe operation member 41 does not rotate about the shaft portion 412.Thus, the distance at which the contact point CPa moves is shorter thanthe distance at which the contact point CPh moves. Thus, when theoperation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circular arc (when theinput direction of the analog stick 4 is changed from the up directionto the right direction with the shaft portion 412 remaining in contactwith the first housing 10), the shaft portion 412 moves from theposition in the upper diagram to the position in the lower diagram inFIG. 13 while sliding on the periphery of the opening portion 11 of thefirst housing 10.

That is, there is a difference (hereinafter, “DF1”) between the lengthof a portion of the shaft portion 412 that comes into contact with thefirst housing 10 (the perimeter of the shaft portion 412) and the lengthof a portion of the first housing 10 that comes into contact with theshaft portion 412 (the perimeter of the opening portion 11).Specifically, the difference DF1 is 2π×(L2−L1). When a circle is drawnwhile the shaft portion 412 is in contact with the first housing 10, theshaft portion 412 slides by the difference DF1.

Thus, when the operation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle,there is a possibility that resistance occurs in a direction opposite tothe operation direction by the friction between the shaft portion 412and the first housing 10 and influences the operability.

In response to this, in the exemplary embodiment, the tilt of theoperation member 41 is limited by the contact between the protrudingportion 413 of the operation member 41 and the pedestal 42.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the trajectory of a contactpoint when the tilt of the operation member 41 is limited by the contactbetween the protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 and thepedestal 42. FIG. 15 shows a view of the pedestal 42 of the operationmember 41 from the front surface of the game controller 1. The depthdirection of the plane of the paper in FIG. 15 coincides with the z-axisin FIG. 1 .

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the state where theprotruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 and the pedestal 42come into contact with each other. In FIG. 16 , the operation member 41before being tilted is indicated by a solid line, and the operationmember 41 when the operation member 41 is tilted and the protrudingportion 413 is in contact with the pedestal 42 is indicated by a dashedline.

As shown in FIG. 16 , a contact point on the protruding portion 413 sidewhen the extremity of the protruding portion 413 of the operation member41 and the pedestal 42 are in contact with each other is a point CPa,and a contact point on the pedestal 42 side is a point CPb. When theoperation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle (i.e., when theinput direction of the analog stick 4 is changed with the protrudingportion 413 remaining in contact with the pedestal 42), then as shown inFIG. 15 , the contact point CPb of the pedestal 42 moves so as to draw acircle. In FIG. 15 , a dashed line indicates the trajectory of thecontact point CPb.

As shown in FIG. 16 , the distance between the contact point CPa (theextremity of the protruding portion 413) and the center of the stickshaft 431 when the operation member 41 is not tilted (i.e., the radiusof the circle of the extremity of the protruding portion 413) is L3.When the operation member 41 is tilted in the right direction, theextremity of the protruding portion 413 moves and comes into contactwith the pedestal 42. At this time, the distance between the center ofthe stick shaft 431 and the contact point CPb of the pedestal 42 is L4.Here, the distance L3 and the distance L4 are approximately equal toeach other. That is, the length of the circumference of the circle ofthe extremity (the contact point CPa) of the protruding portion 413 isapproximately equal to the length of the circumference of the circle ofthe trajectory of the contact point CPb of the pedestal 42 shown in FIG.15 . That is, when the operation member 41 is operated so as to draw acircle (i.e., when the input direction of the analog stick 4 is changedwith the extremity of the protruding portion 413 remaining in contactwith the pedestal 42), the distance at which the contact point CPa atthe extremity of the protruding portion 413 moves and the distance atwhich the contact point CPb of the pedestal 42 shown in FIG. 15 movesare approximately equal to each other.

That is, the difference (hereinafter, “DF2”) between the length of aportion of the protruding portion 413 that comes into contact with thepedestal 42 (the perimeter of the extremity of the protruding portion413) and the length of a portion of the pedestal 42 that comes intocontact with the protruding portion 413 (the perimeter of the contactsurface 421 of the pedestal 42) is smaller than the difference DF1. Whenthe operation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle while theprotruding portion 413 is in contact with the pedestal 42, the extremityof the protruding portion 413 slides by the difference DF2, but thedifference DF2 is approximately “0”.

Thus, when the operation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle,the extremity of the protruding portion 413 rolls without sliding on thecontact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. Thus, when the operation member41 is operated so as to draw a circle, it is possible to suppressresistance when the operation is performed.

Further, the extremity of the protruding portion 413 is formed into around shape. Thus, when the extremity of the protruding portion 413comes into contact with the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42, aforce is dispersed. It should be noted that the extremity of theprotruding portion 413 may be formed into a planar shape, and theextremity of the protruding portion 413 and the contact surface 421 maybe configured to come into surface contact with each other.

Further, in the pedestal 42, the inner wall 422 and the outer wall 423extending upward (in the negative z-axis direction) above the contactsurface 421 are provided. Thus, it is possible to prevent a positionshift between the operation member 41 and the pedestal 42.

Further, the inner wall 422 of the pedestal 42 is formed so as to extendupward and toward the center of the shaft portion 412. Thus, it ispossible to secure the path on which the protruding portion 413 moveswhen the operation member 41 is tilted. Even when the operation member41 is tilted, it is possible to prevent the protruding portion 413 fromhitting the inner wall 422. Further, even when an error in manufacturingor assembling occurs, it is possible to sufficiently secure the path onwhich the protruding portion 413 moves.

It should be noted that the difference DF2 does not necessarily need tobe “0”. That is, there may be some difference between the length of theportion of the protruding portion 413 that comes into contact with thepedestal 42 (the perimeter of the extremity of the protruding portion413) and the length of the portion of the pedestal 42 that comes intocontact with the protruding portion 413 (the perimeter of the contactsurface 421 of the pedestal 42). Also in this case, the difference DF2is smaller than the difference DF1.

It should be noted that a ring member may be provided in the peripheryof the opening portion 11 of the first housing 10. FIG. 17 is a diagramshowing an example of a partially enlarged view when a ring member 12 isprovided in the opening portion 11 of the first housing 10. As shown inFIG. 17 , the ring member 12 is provided so as to cover the periphery ofthe opening portion 11. The ring member 12 may be formed of a materialhaving higher sliding properties than the first housing 10 (e.g., a POMresin, a PA (nylon/polyamide) resin, a PBT resin, or the like). The ringmember 12 may be formed as a component different from the first housing10 and bonded to the first housing 10, or may be formed with the firsthousing 10 by integral molding. Further, the ring member 12 may beformed in a color different from that of the first housing 10.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an end surface of the gamecontroller 1 when cut in the center of the analog stick 4 in theconfiguration in which the ring member 12 is provided in the peripheryof the opening portion 11 of the first housing 10. As shown in FIG. 18 ,when the operation member 41 is tilted in the right direction, thepedestal 42 limits the tilt of the operation member 41. In this case,the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 does not come intocontact with the ring member 12. The same applies to a case where theoperation member 41 is tilted in any direction.

As described above, when the ring member 12 having high slidingproperties is provided in the periphery of the opening portion 11 of thefirst housing, and even if the shaft portion 412 and the ring member 12come into contact with each other, it is possible to make resistancethat occurs between the shaft portion 412 and the ring member 12 whenthe operation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle, relativelysmall.

As described above, the game controller 1 according to the exemplaryembodiment includes the housing including the opening portion 11, andthe operation member 41. The operation member 41 includes the key top411 to be operated by the user, the shaft portion 412 extending downwardfrom the key top 411, and the protruding portion 413 protruding from theshaft portion 412. Within the housing (the first housing 10 and thesecond housing), the pedestal 42 is provided that comes into contactwith the protruding portion 413 when the operation member 41 is tilted.Thus, it is possible to limit the tilt of the operation member 41 by thepedestal 42 and the protruding portion 413. That is, by the protrudingportion 413 and the pedestal 42, it is possible to limit the movement ofthe operation member 41 in the peripheral direction of the openingportion 11. Further, when the pedestal 42 is formed of a material havinghigh sliding properties, it is possible to suppress resistance thatoccurs between the pedestal 42 and the extremity of the protrudingportion 413.

Further, the perimeter of the extremity of the protruding portion 413and the perimeter of the portion of the contact surface 421 of thepedestal 42 that comes into contact with the extremity of the protrudingportion 413 are approximately equal to each other. Thus, when theoperation member 41 is operated so as to draw a circle, the protrudingportion 413 rolls without sliding on the contact surface 421 of thepedestal 42. Consequently, it is possible to make the operabilityexcellent.

Further, when the ring member 12 is provided in the periphery of theopening portion 11 of the first housing 10, the shaft portion 412 comesinto contact with the ring member 12, and does not come into directcontact with the shaft portion 412 and the first housing 10. The ringmember 12 is formed of a material having higher sliding properties thanthe first housing 10. Thus, it is possible to reduce resistance force tobe generated by the shaft portion 412 and the ring member 12 coming intocontact with each other, as compared with resistance force to begenerated by the shaft portion 412 and the first housing 10 coming intocontact with each other.

(Variations)

While the exemplary embodiment has been described above, variousvariations may be made in another exemplary embodiment.

For example, in the above exemplary embodiment, the pedestal 42 is aring-shaped member, and the contact surface 421 is a flat surface. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the contact surface 421 may have recessesand protrusions. For example, the contact surface 421 may includerecessed portions or protruding portions in four directions, namely up,down, left, and right directions, or eight directions, namely up, down,left, right, and oblique directions.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the contact surface 421 whenrecessed portions are formed on the contact surface 421 of the pedestal42. FIG. 19 shows the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. As shownin FIG. 19 , in four directions, namely up, down, left, and rightdirections, and four oblique directions on the ring-shaped contactsurface 421, recessed portions 425 (425 a to 425 h) may be formed. Therecessed portions 425 are portions formed into recessed shapes in thedepth direction of the plane of the paper in FIG. 19 , and for example,may be formed into arcuate shapes. The contact surface 421 between twoof the recessed portions 425 may be formed into a flat surface, or maybe formed into a protruding shape. When such a pedestal 42 is used, itis possible to guide the inputs of the eight directions. For example,when the user inputs the up direction, the extremity of the protrudingportion 413 of the operation member 41 is fitted to the recessed portion425 a, thereby facilitating the input of the up direction.

It should be noted that the recesses and protrusions shown in FIG. 19may be provided in the protruding portion 413. That is, a configurationmay be employed in which the recesses and protrusions are provided atthe extremity of the protruding portion 413, thereby guiding the inputsof predetermined directions (four directions, namely up, down, left, andright directions, and four oblique directions, or other directions).

Further, in the above exemplary embodiment, the opening portion 11 ofthe first housing 10 has a circular shape. Alternatively, in anotherexemplary embodiment, the shape of the opening portion 11 may be anellipse, or may be a polygon (e.g., an octagon). Also in this case, asdescribed above, a configuration is employed in which the tilt of theoperation member 41 is limited by the protruding portion 413 of theoperation member 41 and the pedestal 42 coming into contact with eachother, so that the shaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 does notcome into contact with, or is less likely to come into contact with, theperiphery of the opening portion of the first housing 10.

Further, the shapes of the key top 411, the shaft portion 412, and theprotruding portion 413 of the operation member 41, the pedestal 42, andthe like described above are merely examples, and these components mayhave other shapes. For example, in the above exemplary embodiment, thepedestal 42 is formed into a ring shape of which a center portion has ahole. Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment, the pedestal 42may be a circular plate. Further, the protruding portion 413 of theoperation member 41 may have not only the umbrella shape described abovebut also another shape. For example, the protruding portion 413 may beso shaped as to extend in the horizontal direction of the shaft portion412 (a direction away from the center of the shaft portion 412) andextend bending sharply downward in the middle. Then, when the operationmember 41 is tilted, the protruding portion 413 may come into contactwith the pedestal 42, and the tilt of the operation member 41 may belimited by this contact.

Further, in the above exemplary embodiment, the pedestal 42 is formed asa member separate from the housing. In another exemplary embodiment, apedestal may be formed as a part of the housing. FIG. 20 is a diagramshowing an example of the configuration of another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 20 conceptually shows an example of an end surface of the gamecontroller when cut in the center of the analog stick 4 in a case wherethe pedestal 42 is formed as a part of the first housing 10. As shown inFIG. 20 , the first housing 10 and the pedestal 42 are formed in aunified manner That is, the first housing 10 includes the contactsurface 421 that, when the operation member 41 is tilted, comes intocontact with the protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41within the first housing 10. Further, the pedestal 42 as a part of thefirst housing 10 includes the inner wall 422 and the outer wall 423. Thetilt of the operation member 41 is limited by the pedestal 42 as a partof the first housing 10. Further, in the periphery of the openingportion 11 of the first housing 10, the ring member 12 shown in FIG. 18may be provided.

Further, in the above exemplary embodiment, in the first housing 10, theopening portion 11 is provided, and the analog stick 4 is formed of theoperation member 41 of which a part is exposed through the openingportion 11, the pedestal 42, and the analog stick main body part 43. Inanother exemplary embodiment, a part of the analog stick 4 may be formedas a part of the housing. That is, the analog stick 4 may be formed of ahousing member exposed to outside, the operation member 41, the pedestal42, and the analog stick main body part 43. Then, an opening may beprovided in a housing of a controller main body forming the externalshape of a controller, and the housing member as a part of the analogstick 4 and the operation member 41 may be exposed through this opening.

Further, in the above exemplary embodiment, the tilt of the operationmember 41 is limited by the extremity of the protruding portion 413 ofthe operation member 41 coming into contact with the pedestal 42provided below the protruding portion 413 (in the z-axis direction). Inanother exemplary embodiment, the tilt of the operation member may belimited by another portion of the protruding portion 413 coming intocontact with the pedestal. For example, when the operation member istilted, the side surface of the protruding portion of the operationmember may come into contact with the pedestal, and the tilt of theoperation member may be limited by this contact.

Further, in the above exemplary embodiment, using the analog stick mainbody part 43 that can be tilted in any direction, the tilt of the analogstick 4 is limited by the operation member 41 and the pedestal 42. Inanother exemplary embodiment, such limitation may be applied to a slidepad slidable in the horizontal direction (a direction parallel to thesurface of the housing).

Further, the above analog stick 4 may be applied to an informationprocessing apparatus including an input device. That is, in aninformation processing apparatus unified with an input device, the inputdevice may include the analog stick 4. For example, a mobile gameapparatus may include the above analog stick 4. Further, a smartphone, atablet terminal, or a personal computer may include the above analogstick 4.

Next, a pressure sensor provided in the game controller according to theexemplary embodiment is described. In the game controller according tothe exemplary embodiment, a pressure sensor 44 that detects pressure isprovided between the operation member 41 and the pedestal 42 describedabove. FIG. 21 is an example of an exploded perspective view showing apart of the analog stick 4 of the game controller according to theexemplary embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of an endsurface of the game controller according to the exemplary embodimentwhen cut in the center of the analog stick 4. FIG. 23 is a diagramshowing an example of the end surface when the operation member 41 istilted in the right direction. It should be noted that similarly to FIG.10 , FIGS. 22 and 23 only show main portions and omit other portions.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 , the pressure sensor 44 is provided betweenthe operation member 41 and the pedestal 42. The pressure sensor 44 isplaced on the contact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. For example, anadhesive may be applied to a back surface of the pressure sensor 44 (orthe contact surface 421), and the pressure sensor 44 may be fixed to thecontact surface 421 of the pedestal 42. When the operation member 41 istilted, the extremity of the protruding portion 413 of the operationmember 41 comes into contact with a front surface of the pressure sensor44. It should be noted that the front surface of the pressure sensor 44may be formed of a material having high sliding properties (a lowcoefficient of friction). A member having high sliding properties may beseparately provided on the front surface of the pressure sensor 44. Forexample, a sheet may be pasted to the front surface of the pressuresensor 44.

The pressure sensor 44 outputs a pressure value relating to an appliedforce. The pressure sensor 44 is formed of a laminar member formed intoa circular ring shape. As the pressure sensor 44, a resistive pressuresensor may be used, or a capacitive pressure sensor may be used, or apressure sensor using any other method may be used. It should be notedthat a strain gauge that detects an applied force may be used instead ofthe pressure sensor 44. That is, an appropriate sensor may be used solong as the sensor can detect an applied force.

As shown in FIG. 23 , when the operation member 41 is tilted in theright direction, for example, the extremity of the protruding portion413 comes into contact with the pedestal 42 through the pressure sensor44. That is, it can be said that the extremity of the protruding portion413 comes into direct contact with the pressure sensor 44 and comes intoindirect contact with the pedestal 42. This contact limits the furthertilt of the operation member 41 in the right direction. The pressuresensor 44 detects pressure relating to this contact.

It should be noted that, although not shown in the figures, a lead foroutputting a signal relating to applied pressure is connected to thepressure sensor 44. The lead is connected to the substrate 30, forexample. On the substrate 30, a circuit is provided that processes asignal from the analog stick main body part 43 (a signal includinginformation regarding the tilt direction and the tilt angle) and asignal from the pressure sensor 44. Information processed by the circuit(information regarding the tilt direction, the tilt angle, and pressurewhen the operation member 41 is tilted) is transmitted from the gamecontroller to the game apparatus, and the game apparatus performs gameprocessing based on the information. For example, the moving directionof a virtual object may be controlled in accordance with the tiltdirection, and game processing relating to a detected pressure value mayalso be performed. It should be noted that when the detected pressurevalue or a value relating to the pressure value is greater than or equalto a predetermined value, predetermined game processing may beperformed. When the detected pressure value or the value relating to thepressure value is less than the predetermined value, the predeterminedgame processing may not be performed. Further, when the detectedpressure value or the value relating to the pressure value is greaterthan or equal to the predetermined value, game processing relating tothe pressure value or the value relating to the pressure value may beperformed.

Also when the operation member 41 is tilted in any other direction,similarly, the extremity of the protruding portion 413 comes intocontact with the pedestal 42 through the pressure sensor 44.

It should be noted that in a case where at least any one of the pressuresensor 44, the pedestal 42, and the operation member 41 is formed of arelatively soft member or a soft member is placed on the pressure sensor44, and if a force in the tilt direction is applied to the operationmember 41 when the extremity of the protruding portion 413 comes intocontact with the pressure sensor 44, these soft members may elasticallydeform. By this elastic deformation, the operation member 41 tiltsfurther than the tilt angle limited by the pedestal 42 and the sensor44. Also in this case, the pedestal 42 and the sensor 44 limit the tiltof the operation member 41. That is, “the pedestal 42 limits the tilt ofthe operation member 41 (the movement of the operation member 41)”includes a case where the operation member 41 comes into (direct orindirect) contact with the pedestal 42, thereby preventing the operationmember 41 from tilting any further, and a case where the operationmember 41 comes into contact with the pedestal 42 and then slightlytilts further by elastic deformation.

It should be noted that as shown in FIG. 23 , in the state where theoperation member 41 is tilted, the first housing 10 and the shaftportion 412 do not come into contact with each other. In this state,however, the first housing 10 and the shaft portion 412 may come intocontact with each other. That is, in a case where the tilt of theoperation member 41 is limited by the pedestal 42 and the pressuresensor 44, the first housing 10 and the shaft portion 412 may come intocontact with each other. Further, in a structure capable of elasticallydeforming as described above, in a case where the tilt of the operationmember 41 is limited by the pedestal 42 and the pressure sensor 44, andelastic deformation as described above does not substantially occur, thefirst housing 10 and the shaft portion 412 may not come into contactwith each other, and in a case where elastic deformation occurs, thefirst housing 10 and the shaft portion 412 may come into contact witheach other. In this case, in a case where the tilt of the operationmember 41 is limited by the pedestal 42 and the pressure sensor 44, andwhen a further force is applied to the operation member 41, a forceapplied to the pressure sensor 44 is distributed, and an excessive forcecan be made less likely to be applied to the pressure sensor 44. Itshould be noted that a configuration may be employed in which even whenelastic deformation occurs, the first housing 10 and the shaft portion412 do not come into contact with each other. Further, similarly to FIG.18 , in the state where the ring member 12 is provided in the peripheryof the opening portion 11, and the operation member 41 is tilted, theshaft portion 412 and the ring member 12 may come into contact with eachother. That is, in a case where the tilt of the operation member 41 islimited by the pedestal 42 and the pressure sensor 44, and even whenelastic deformation as described above does not substantially occur, thering member 12 and the shaft portion 412 may come into contact with eachother. Further, in a case where the tilt of the operation member 41 islimited by the pedestal 42 and the pressure sensor 44, and when elasticdeformation as described above does not substantially occur, the ringmember 12 and the shaft portion 412 may not come into contact with eachother, and when elastic deformation occurs, the ring member 12 and theshaft portion 412 may come into contact with each other.

Further, in FIG. 22 . the pressure sensor 44 is provided on the pedestal42 (the second portion). Alternatively, the pressure sensor 44 may beprovided at the extremity of the protruding portion 413 (the firstportion) of the operation member 41. For example, the pressure sensor 44may be bonded and fixed to the extremity of the protruding portion 413with an adhesive. Here, “the pressure sensor 44 is provided on thepedestal 42 or the protruding portion 413” means that the pressuresensor 44 is installed on the pedestal 42 or the protruding portion 413.If the pressure sensor 44 can detect pressure due to the contact betweenthe pedestal 42 and the protruding portion 413, the pressure sensor 44does not necessarily need to be fixed to the pedestal 42 or theprotruding portion 413 with an adhesive or by other fixing means.

In FIG. 22 , the pressure sensor 44 is provided on the pedestal 42, andthe protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 and the pressuresensor 44 come into direct contact with each other. As a variation, thepressure sensor 44 and the protruding portion 413 of the operationmember 41 may come into indirect contact with each other. For example,the pressure sensor 44 may be placed on the pedestal 42, and a laminarcircular ring-shaped member may be further placed on the pressure sensor44. The protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 may come intocontact with the circular ring-shaped member, and the pressure sensor 44may indirectly detect a load applied to the circular ring-shaped member.

It should be noted that the position of the pressure sensor 44 is notlimited to that in FIG. 22 . Variations of the exemplary embodiment aredescribed below.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing variation 1 of the exemplary embodiment. Invariation 1, as shown in FIG. 24 , the pressure sensor 44 is provided ona back surface of the first housing 10. Specifically, the pedestal 42 isprovided on the back surface of the first housing 10 (a surface insidethe housing). The pedestal 42 is a member for limiting the tilt (themovement) of the operation member 41 and is an example of the secondportion. The pedestal 42 is fixed to the back surface of the firsthousing 10. The pedestal 42 is formed into a circular ring shape andfixed near the periphery of the opening portion 11. Further, thepressure sensor 44 having a circular ring shape is fixed to the pedestal42. At the extremity of the protruding portion 413 of the operationmember 41, a protrusion 413 a protruding from an outer side surface ofthe protruding portion 413 in the circumferential direction is provided.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the state where the operation member 41 inFIG. 24 is tilted in the right direction. As shown in FIG. 25 , when theoperation member 41 is tilted in the right direction, the protrusion 413a (the outer side surface of the protruding portion 413) provided at theextremity of the protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 comesinto contact with the pedestal 42 through the pressure sensor 44. Thiscontact between the pedestal 42 and the protrusion 413 a limits thefurther tilt of the operation member 41 in the right direction.Specifically, the protrusion 413 a (the outer side surface of theprotruding portion 413) comes into direct contact with the pressuresensor 44. The pressure sensor 44 detects pressure relating to thiscontact. Also when the operation member 41 is tilted in any otherdirection, similarly, the tilt of the operation member 41 is limited bythe pedestal 42, and the pressure sensor 44 detects pressure appliedwhen the operation member 41 is tilted. It should be noted that FIGS. 24and 25 are merely examples, and the shapes of the members are notlimited to those as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 . For example, the shapesof these members may be any shapes so long as a structure is employed inwhich, for example, when the operation member 41 is tilted in the rightdirection, the outer side surface of the protruding portion 413 on theleft side comes into contact with the pressure sensor 44. For example,although the pressure sensor 44 is formed into an inclined circular ringshape in FIG. 24 , the shape of the pressure sensor 44 is not limited tosuch a shape. For example, the pressure sensor 44 has a plate-likecircular ring shape as shown in FIG. 21 and is fixed to the back side ofthe first housing 10 so that the pressure sensor 44 is horizontal inFIG. 24 . The shape of an outer side surface of an extremity portion ofthe protruding portion 413 may be formed so that when the operationmember 41 is tilted, the outer side surface of the protruding portion413 comes into surface contact with the plate-like pressure sensor 44.Further, a part of the back side of the first housing 10 may be moldedas in the pedestal 42 shown in FIG. 24 . In this case, the part of theback side of the first housing 10 functions as the second portion thatlimits the tilt of the operation member 41. In this case, the “secondportion” refers to a portion around a portion of the first housing 10 orthe back surface of the first housing 10 with which the protrusion 413 acomes into contact.

As described above, the second portion that limits the tilt (themovement) of the operation member 41 and the pressure sensor 44 may beprovided on the back side of the first housing. When the operationmember 41 is tilted, the outer side surface of the protruding portion413 of the operation member 41 and the second portion on the back sideof the first housing come into contact with each other. This contactlimits the tilt of the operation member 41. The pressure sensor 44 isprovided at the second portion. The pressure sensor 44 detects pressureapplied due to the contact between the outer side surface of theprotruding portion 413 and the second portion on the back side of thefirst housing.

It should be noted that the protrusion 413 a may not be provided at theextremity of the protruding portion 413, and may be provided at anyposition on the outer side surface of the protruding portion 413. Forexample, the protrusion 413 a may be provided between the extremity ofthe protruding portion 413 and the base of the protruding portion 413.In this case, the angle of the tilt of the operation member 41 issmaller than in the case shown in FIG. 25 . Further, the protrusion 413a does not necessarily need to be provided so long as a structure isemployed in which the tilt (the movement) of the operation member 41 islimited.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing variation 2 of the exemplary embodiment. Invariation 2, as shown in FIG. 26 , the pedestal 42 and the pressuresensor 44 are provided near the opening portion 11 on the back surfaceof the first housing 10. Specifically, the pressure sensor 44 having acircular ring shape is provided in the periphery of the opening portion11 on the back surface of the first housing 10. The pedestal 42 having acircular ring shape is provided in the outer periphery of the pressuresensor 44. The pedestal 42 is a member for limiting the tilt (themovement) of the operation member 41 and is an example of the secondportion. The pressure sensor 44 detects pressure when the operationmember 41 and the pedestal 42 come into contact with each other.Further, a projection portion 412 a is provided at a lower end of theshaft portion 412 of the operation member 41 (a connection portionbetween the shaft portion 412 and the protruding portion 413).

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the state where the operation member 41 inFIG. 26 is tilted in the left direction. As shown in FIG. 27 , when theoperation member 41 is tilted in the left direction, for example, theprojection portion 412 a of the shaft portion 412 comes into contactwith the pedestal 42 through the pressure sensor 44, and this contactlimits the further tilt of the operation member 41 in the leftdirection. Specifically, the projection portion 412 a comes into directcontact with the pressure sensor 44. The pressure sensor 44 detectspressure relating to this contact. The same applies to a case where theoperation member 41 is tilted in any other direction.

It should be noted that in variation 2, the pedestal 42 is provided, andthe tilt (the movement) of the operation member 41 is limited by thepedestal 42. Alternatively, the tilt of the operation member 41 may belimited by the first housing 10. In this case, a part of the backsurface of the first housing 10 functions as the second portion thatlimits the tilt of the operation member 41. That is, in this case, the“second portion” refers to a portion around a portion of the firsthousing 10 or the back surface of the first housing 10 with which theoperation member 41 comes into contact. Further, the ring member 12 maybe provided in the opening portion 11, and the tilt of the operationmember 41 may be limited by the ring member 12. In this case, thepressure sensor 44 may be provided in the ring member 12.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing variation 3 of the exemplary embodiment. Invariation 3, as shown in FIG. 28 , the protruding portion 413 having anumbrella shape is formed from the back side of the key top 411 of theoperation member 41. A portion of the first housing 10 near the openingportion 11 is expanded in the up direction, and a part of the protrudingportion 413 having the umbrella shape is covered by this expandedportion of the first housing 10. Also in such a configuration, theoperation member 41 can be tilted about the shaft 431. That is, theoperation member 41 shown in FIG. 28 includes the key top 411 that isoperated by the user, and a shaft portion extending from the key top 411through the opening portion 11 to inside the housing (e.g., a portion ofthe operation member 41 forming the shaft insertion opening 415). Invariation 3, the pressure sensor 44 is provided on the pedestal 42 thatlimits the tilt of the operation member 41.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing the state where the operation member 41 inFIG. 28 is tilted in the left direction. As shown in FIG. 29 , when theoperation member 41 is tilted in the left direction, for example, theextremity of the protruding portion 413 of the operation member 41 comesinto contact with the pedestal 42 through the pressure sensor 44, andthis contact limits the further tilt of the operation member 41 in theleft direction. Specifically, the extremity of the protruding portion413 comes into direct contact with the pressure sensor 44. The pressuresensor 44 detects pressure relating to this contact. The same applies toa case where the operation member 41 is tilted in any other direction.

As described above, the game controller according to the exemplaryembodiment includes a housing 10 including an opening 11, and anoperation member 41, a part of which is exposed through the opening andwhich is movable in a peripheral direction of the opening. The operationmember 41 includes a key top 411 exposed through the opening, a shaftportion (e.g., 412) extending from the key top 411 through the openingto inside the housing, and a first portion (a protruding portion 413)located inside the housing. Further, the game controller includes asecond portion (e.g., a pedestal 42; or a part of the housing) which iswithin the housing, and when the operation member moves in theperipheral direction of the opening, limits the movement by the firstportion coming into contact with the second portion. Further, the gamecontroller includes a sensor that is at the first portion or the secondportion and provides an output relating to a force applied due to thecontact between the first portion and the second portion.

It should be noted that in the exemplary embodiment, the pressure sensor44 that detects a pressure value is used. Alternatively, another sensorthat detects an applied force may be used. For example, the pressuresensor 44 may be a sensor that does not output continuous values as apressure value, but outputs “1” when a force greater than or equal to apredetermined force is applied, and outputs “0” when a force less thanthe predetermined force is applied.

While the exemplary embodiment has been described, the above descriptionis merely illustrative, and the exemplary embodiment may be improved andmodified in various manners. The configurations of the above exemplaryembodiment and its variations can be optionally combined together unlessthey contradict each other.

While certain example systems, methods, devices and apparatuses havebeen described herein, it is to be understood that the appended claimsare not to be limited to the systems, methods, devices and apparatusesdisclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An input device comprising a housing including anopening, and an operation member, a part of which is exposed through theopening and which is movable in a peripheral direction of the opening,the operation member including: a key top exposed through the openingand operated by a user; a shaft portion extending from the key topthrough the opening to inside the housing; and a first portion locatedinside the housing, the input device further comprising: a secondportion which is within the housing, and when the operation member movesin the peripheral direction of the opening, limits the movement by thefirst portion coming into contact with the second portion; and a firstsensor that is at the first portion or the second portion and providesan output relating to a force applied due to the contact between thefirst portion and the second portion.
 2. The input device according toclaim 1, further comprising a second sensor that detects a movingdirection of the operation member.
 3. The input device according toclaim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion come intocontact with each other through the first sensor.
 4. The input deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the first portion protrudes in a directionaway from a center of the shaft portion and in an inward direction ofthe housing.
 5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein when theoperation member moves in the peripheral direction of the opening, anextremity of the first portion comes into contact with the secondportion.
 6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the extremityof the first portion has a round shape.
 7. The input device according toclaim 1, wherein when the operation member moves in a first direction,the first portion and the second portion come into contact with eachother at a position in the first direction.
 8. The input deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the second portion includes a contactsurface with which the first portion comes into contact, and a wallportion extending from the contact surface in an outward direction ofthe housing.
 9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the wallportion is in an end portion, on a center side of the shaft portion, ofthe contact surface.
 10. The input device according to claim 1, whereinthe second portion is formed of a material having a lower coefficient offriction than at least a peripheral portion of the opening in thehousing.
 11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein when theoperation member moves in the peripheral direction of the opening, thefirst portion comes into contact with the second portion without theshaft portion coming into contact with the housing.
 12. The input deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein when the operation member moves in theperipheral direction of the opening, the first portion comes intocontact with the second portion, and then, the operation member furthermoves in the peripheral direction, whereby the shaft portion comes intocontact with the housing.
 13. The input device according to claim 1,wherein when the operation member moves in a first direction, the firstportion and the second portion come into contact with each other at aposition in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
 14. Theinput device according to claim 13, wherein the second portion is on aback side of the housing, and when the operation member moves in theperipheral direction of the opening, the movement is limited by an outerside surface of the first portion coming into contact with the secondportion.
 15. The input device according to claim 1, wherein even if theoperation member moves in any peripheral direction of the opening, thefirst portion comes into contact with the second portion.
 16. The inputdevice according to claim 15, wherein a portion of the first portionthat comes into contact with the second portion has a circular shape,and a portion of the second portion that comes into contact with thefirst portion has a circular shape.
 17. The input device according toclaim 1, further comprising a cushioning material in a portion where thefirst portion and the second portion come into contact with each other.18. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a difference betweena length of a portion of the first portion that comes into contact withthe second portion and a length of a portion of the second portion thatcomes into contact with the first portion is smaller than a differencebetween a perimeter of the shaft portion and a perimeter of the opening.19. A game controller comprising a housing including an opening, and anoperation member, a part of which is exposed through the opening andwhich is movable in a peripheral direction of the opening, the operationmember including: a key top exposed through the opening and operated bya user; a shaft portion extending from the key top through the openingto inside the housing; and a first portion located inside the housing,the game controller further comprising: a second portion which is withinthe housing, and when the operation member moves in the peripheraldirection of the opening, limits the movement by the first portioncoming into contact with the second portion; and a sensor that is at thefirst portion or the second portion and provides an output relating to aforce applied due to the contact between the first portion and thesecond portion.
 20. An information processing apparatus comprising aninput device, the input device including a housing including an opening,and an operation member, a part of which is exposed through the openingand which is movable in a peripheral direction of the opening, theoperation member including: a key top exposed through the opening andoperated by a user; a shaft portion extending from the key top throughthe opening to inside the housing; and a first portion located insidethe housing, the input device further including: a second portion whichis within the housing, and when the operation member moves in theperipheral direction of the opening, limits the movement by the firstportion coming into contact with the second portion; and a sensor thatis at the first portion or the second portion and provides an outputrelating to a force applied due to the contact between the first portionand the second portion.